Flotation of ores



Passen er. 11,19'2a LDOLPHE'E'NEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

noawnon or ones,

lio Drawing.

This invention relates to a new and improved process for theconcentration of ores by the method known as flotation and particularlyto the use andemployment, in I said ore concentration process, ofchemicals and substances and transformation produ cts thereof, hithertounknown as being of ad-. vantage and utility as agents or assisting andauxiliary substances in said ore concentration process as-customarilypracticed The process of concentrating ore commonly designated flotationconsists 1n producing by suitable meansupon the surface of an aqueoussuspension of a finely 16 comminuted ore body, a froth. Under suitableconditions, this froth carries to the surface of the liquid aconcentrate containing a hi her percentage of the metallic or othervaduable consituents of the ore 20 treated than it originally contained.This concentrate is continuously or intermittently removed and furthertreated to re-. cover and purify its valuable constituents. A variety ofsubstances has been hitherto proposed and employed as agents orasslsting and auxiliary media for producing the concentrating effect andmany of these substances known as flotation agents areindeedefi'ective-in a greater or lesser degree in that their addition toor presence in the operation of flotation produces or effects theformation of a concentrate having a higher percentage of the valuableconstituents of'the ore treated than the latter originally contained.The relative value of such 7 flotation agents also depends on theamountnecessary to be eifective and on the time required to produce suchefiect, and their price. a x 40 I have discovered that a new series ofcompounds hitherto not em loyed for this purpose are very eflicientotation agents surpassing in their effectiveness any proposed and knownsubstances in produc ng a high concentrate. These substances are the'products of reaction of dis'ulfurdichloride in excess upon aromaticamino compounds] having at least one ortho-position to the amino groupfree or unsubstituted. These reaction roducts are described for instancein Britis patent specifications No. 17,417

of 1914 and 18,292 of 1914, and'are by suitable treatment with' waterand alkali transformed into o-amidothiophenol likebodies.

Application filed December 27, 1926. Serial No. 157,407.

4 To illustrate the use of these substances the following example isgiven.

' Ewmple.

1000 grams of a copper bearing ore, containing 1.2% Cu are ground tofineness of #60 mesh with some water, 5 grammes slaked lime and 0.125grammes of the prodnot of reaction between". disulfurdichloride andorthotoluidine being added. The mixture was placed into a flotation test.ma-" chine, water added and aeration started. Fivedrops ofi pine oilwere added as needed durin the dperation. The froth was remove as formedand. aeration continued for fifteen minutes. The froth when driedweighed 60 grammes and contained 10.2 grammes copper. An extraction ofof the copper present in the ore was thus effected and a. 17 concentrateobtained.

Similar results can be obtained on a large scale bya propriate methodsof operation and suitab e apparatus.

It is understoodthat my invention ,is not limited to the proportion ofmaterials used in the example given nor to the nature of the subsidiaryagents. N either-do I vwish to be restricted to the use of anyparticular method or-modus of working or operation, or to anyparticular-type o apparatus or machinery,-all these things being capableof! 35 variation and modification according'to the nature of the oretreated and the result desired.

Inasmuch as the aforementioned'products of reactionv ofdisulfurdichloride and aromatic amines react with water under formationof new bodies and liberation of hydrochloric acid and, inasmuch as thelatter new bodies are under the influence of alkalies in turntransformed into 0,-amido thiophenol like substances, all of whichproduce .in the flotation operation the same or a similar effect, namelythe formation of a high grade concentrate, I may employ the/ v. I

product of hydrolysis upon the reaction product of disulfurdichlorldeand an aromatic amine, or the o-amido thiophenol-like substance obtainedby treating the product of hydrolysis withalkalies, in any pre-- ferredmanner. For instance, I may substi- I tute, in the example given, theproduct of, reaction of .disulfurdichloride and orthotoluidineby anequivalent or similar quantity of the transformation product obtainedfrom said reaction product by disolving the latter in water andseparating from the solution the pinkish white roduct of hydrolysiswhich precipitates om such ags'olution in course of a few hours; oragain I may use in place of the product of reaction 0 disulfurdichlorideand ortho-t'oluidine, a similar amount of the o-amidothio henollikebodywhichl obtain by dissolving the hydrolized reaction product in analkali, and isolating from this solution the -amidothiophenol-like bodyin any desired manner,

as for instance by precipitating it bi means of zinc-chloride anddecomposing t e zincsalt of the o-amidothiophenol with hydrogensulphide. ,Having thus described the nature' of my said invention and inwhat manner it may be applied; I declare that what I claim is:

1. The method of concentrating ores by froth flotation which com risessuhiecting the mineral in form of an a aline pu p to a froth flotationoperation in the presence 0 the products of reaction of an excess ofdisulfurdichloride upon aromatic ammo cornpounds having at least oneorthop'osition to the amino group free or unsubstituted.

2. The method of concentrating ores by froth flotation which comprises:subject' the mineral in the form of a ulp rende alkaline with lime to afroth otation operation in the presence of the products of re action ofan excess of disulfurdichloride upon aromatic amino compounds having atADoLPHaf s, KEY.

city, in the count yi 35 least one orthoposition to-the amino group?

